Welcome

The Lib Dem team is campaigning for communities across all of south and south-west Edinburgh. Our Citizen and Focus teams have been actively campaigning in the city for over 40 years.

The Edinburgh South seat at Westminster remains one of the most marginal Lib Dem / Labour battlegrounds in the country and we are determined to win back the Edinburgh South seat at Holyrood.

On this site you will find information on what is happening in south Edinburgh (that's Edinburgh South and Edinburgh Pentlands, and at Westminster, Edinburgh South and Edinburgh South West). And you can find out about the work we're doing on behalf of the people and communities amongst which we live.

STOP PRESS: A record of delivery - read what the LibDems have delivered in government (click here)

Recent updates

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume MSP said there are deep-seated, systemic problems in the way that mental ill health is treated in Scotland after hosting a mental health summit at the Scottish Parliament.

The summit brought together service users, medical experts, charities and mental health campaigners for a wide-ranging discussion of mental health services in Scotland.

Ms McInnes was speaking after answers to Parliamentary Questions revealed that the Scottish Government appears to have taken no active role in ensuring the National Strategy for Public Space CCTV is implemented.

Scottish Liberal Democrats will push mental health further up Scotland's political agenda this week with a key summit attended by experts across mental health specialities.

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Jim Hume MSP today announced that he will host a mental health summit at Holyrood on the 30th July, calling for action to be taken before even more patients fall through the gaps due to lengthy waiting times for treatments.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Alison McInnes has welcomed the support of the UN Human Rights Committee for Lib Dem moves to scrap so-called consensual stop and search in Scotland.

The report called on the Scottish Government to "repeal non-statutory stop and search powers in Scotland" and raised concerned about the use of consensual stop and search "undertaken on a large scale by Police Scotland, that appear to involve, inter alia, the selective application of such measures in a manner which is allegedly unlawful and disproportionate."

A report uncovered by the Daily Record today revealed that the Wilson Doctrine has been amended to now explicitly rule out the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish parliaments and the European Parliament.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes MSP today said it would be fundamentally wrong to sweep problems in police call handling under the carpet as Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) announced the terms of reference for their review of call centre operations.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott today warned the First Minister that actions speak louder than words as he called on Nicola Sturgeon to raise human rights concerns during a forthcoming trip to China.

Mr Scott's call comes as reports suggest that more than 200 human rights activists and lawyers have been targeted in a nationwide crackdown in China that began earlier this month.

Commenting on the election of Tim Farron MP as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said:

"With Tim Farron the liberal force in our country has a dynamic, thoughtful and eloquent leader. I backed him because he is best placed to lead the Liberal Democrats back to recovery. And I am delighted he won against such a talented opponent in Norman Lamb.

"These figures demonstrate the need for an evidence-based, regulated approach to stop and search. With Scottish divisions accounting for seven out of ten areas across the UK with the highest per capita search rate, we must ask if we are getting the balance right between protecting public safety and civil liberties.

"In particular I have concerns that these high rates could be disproportionately affecting some communities and groups, and that runs the risk of resentment building up. Young people have an equal right to live their lives without regularly having to submit to searches.

"The case for reform grows louder with each day. My amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill would put all stop and search on a legal footing and introduce a code of practice. All the evidence shows that this is what is desperately needed if we are to restore faith in Scotland's policing approach."

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Jim Hume MSP has warned Scottish Ministers they must do more to support young people after new figures obtained through Parliamentary Questions revealed that nearly 300 children were treated for eating disorders in Scotland between 2009-10 and 2013-14. Of these, 79 were aged 13 or younger.